Powerful Moments: 40 Years of Georgia Trend

A story I wrote in 2016 on the plight of Georgia’s rural hospitals really brought home to me the challenges, largely economic, of trying to provide healthcare to Georgians in non-urban parts of the state. I recall sitting at a conference table at Union General Hospital in Blairsville with administrators from the hospital, listening to them talk about the people who depend on them. I was struck by the compassion and determination they showed in the face of overwhelming odds. Sadly, rural hospitals are still fighting for survival.

On a much lighter note, I recall a photo shoot for one of our “40 Under 40” covers – for which we had selected four of the honorees to photograph. One of them, a fair-skinned gentleman from South Georgia, had played golf the day before without benefit of sunscreen and showed up with a bright red face and white rings around his eyes where his sunglasses had rested. I actually thought our creative director Penny Alligood was going to have a heart attack. Some deft application of makeup helped a bit, but it was touch-and-go for a while. – Susan Percy, 2001-2013

A story that has stayed with me, and that has remained relevant in these times of cuts to healthcare, is the June 2019 Q&A Susan Percy did with Dr. Karen Kinsell, the only physician in Southwest Georgia’s Clay County. The challenges Kinsell and her patients faced in 2019 continue to this day – and are on track to multiply in the coming years and months. – Karen Kirkpatrick 2017-2022

Among my best memories … was learning about the Georgia ports and having the privilege of writing about them. During my seven-year tenure I covered many successes and milestones at the Savannah and Brunswick ports. There was never a dearth of topics to write about and all of it was interesting. Each time I wrote a new story I was struck by how much foresight and smarts the ports’ management and board had. I’m thankful for the knowledge I gained and for having such a valuable economic resource in our state. – Mary Ann Demuth, 2022-2023

I haven’t been managing editor for long, but I am pleased Susan Percy wrote a profile on the late President Jimmy Carter that published on November 1, 2023, when both he and former first lady Rosalynn Carter were still living. Mrs. Carter died 18 days later.